Treatment of water for softening, purifying, and like purposes.



H; 1. MAGRATH. TREATMENT OF WATER FOR SOFTENING, PURIFYING, AND L|KE PURPOSES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 22. 1916 ma -W2 Patentdfiept. 4,1917.

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HENRY JAMES MAGRATH, or ronnan, LoNnoN, ENGLAND.

menace.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 4t, 191?.

Application filed November 22, 1916. Serial No. 132,819.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY JAMES MA- GRATH, a subject of the Kin of Great Britain, and residing at 196 Hlgh street, Poplar, London, England, have invented certain newand useful Improvements Relating to the Treatment of Water for Softening, Purifying, and like Purposes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to systems of softening, purifying, and otherwise treating water, in which systems a base-exchanging material such as natural or artificial zeolites is used requiring to be regenerated at intcrvals. It is the object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive form of the apparatus such as can be used for supplying softened or treated water to a lavatory basin or the like whenever required. The invention also includes an improved method of operation associated with the new apparatus, The types of apparatus hitherto known, .have generally been adapted to receive the Water to be treated at full pressure from the mains, and it becomes an expensive matter to make a cylinder to contain the filtering material, the zeolite and the like, which cylinder will stand the main pressure continuously, while having the various taps or cocks necessary for controlling the flow and for use during regenerating. Again, such apparatus even if made'as small as possible for supplying a single basin or the like, is still somewhat bulky while its cost of manufacture is rather high.

These diiliculties are overcome by the simplified or improved type of apparatus and the'modified method of operation during regenerating, forming the subject of the present invention.

In the accompanying drawings 'Figure 1 is a front elevation showing a suitable form of the apparatus.

7 Fig. 2 shows a vertical section of the tank. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the tank, and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the threeway cock, Fig. 4 being an elevation and Fig.

Q 5 a horizontal section on the line A-B' of Fig. 4.

In the drawings a'represents a wooden board or base suitably secured to a wall and having the tank b mounted thereon for instance by lugs 0. The front of the tank may be provided'with a frame carrying a looking glass d, Fig. 1, while at the sides hooks maybe provided as indicated at c,

Fig. 1, for hanging up brushes and so forth.

These hooks are not indicated in the other figures. I

In the bottom of the tank is provided a socket member f having a tube 9 brazed therein, the socket member being bolted through the bottom of the tank to a member f into which screws the stem k of the cock 8. The flange of the socket member 7 may be packed in any convenient way, and for example a rubber disk 70 is shown between the member f and the underside of the tank.

The pipe g which is open to the stem 72. in

the socket member f, is closed at its end Z and has a number of holes or saw-cuts formed .in its bottom portion at each side of the socket member f so as to permit water to flow into the said pipe and to reach the cock 8. --The pipe 9 preferably extends upwardly to the top of the tank as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, where it may be closed by a plug m of hard material such asebonite. This only requires to be removed on special occasions as hereinafter explained. n is an overflow pipe extending upward to near the top of the tank leading to an overflow outlet. In the example shown it extends down wardly to a socket 0 at the bottom of the tank from which any overflow water may flow out to waste. In the upper part of the tank a ball valve is fitted, operated by means of a ball float q of usual type, the valve being one which is capable of working at the normal pressure of supply for domestic purposes. At the bottom of the tank is a layer of filtering material such as gravel 1' which lies over the perforated pipe tion containing the requisite amount of salt for regenerating purposes, without filling up quite to the level of the top of the overflow pipe a. In the example shown the tank may be supposed to be about 27 inches in hei ht from top to bottom, 4 inches in depth rem back to treat and 12; inches in width internally. If this is so then in the example shown the gravel layer is about 2 inches in height, the permutit layer about 14 inches in height, the water level above the permutit about 3 inches higher, and there is still a height of about 6 inches above that level up to the overflow. These dimensions are'mentioned purely by Way of example.

The cock 8 illustrated turns around the stem h, and hasa pipe a extending outward from it, formed for example as shown in Fig. 2 to I'BCQlW-L a rubber hose or other connection to carry .away the water to another point when required. The stem \71. is conical and has two apertures therein, the larger one at 1) being for the normal outflow ofpurified water, while the smaller one at w is meant for use in regenerating only. The cock is shown in the closed position in Figs. 4: and 5. lVhen turned around the stem it through 90 to the forwardly extending position as in Figs. 2 and 3, the main port a is opened. \Vhen turned through a further 909 the port 10 is opened to allow a slow trickling flow of liquid therethrough. The port 10 may for instance be a small hole about one-thirtysecond of an inch in effective diameter.

During normal working water will only be drawn off occasionally, and usually no large amount will be drawn off at a time, so that what is drawn off will have been standing in the tank in contact with. the material t, and it will have been purified, softened or otherwise treated thereby. As any water is drawn off from the cock 8, more flows in through the ball valve 7) and slowly percolates downward through the material t and the gravel layer r. Such an apparatus will only require regenerating at comparatively long intervals of time, and when it is required, either salt can be thrown into the tank in the water above the top of the material t, or preferably the required amount of salt can be dissolved in water and poured in as already mentioned. For the amount of material such as permutit contained in a tank of the dimensions mentioned above, about 3 lbs. of salt would probably suffice for regenerating, and this would not require more water for dissolving than would easily be contained in the six inches free height in the tank above the normal water level up to the top of the overflow pipen. The swiveling member of the cock 8 should now be turned to the left hand position allowing a slow trickling flow of liquid therefrom, and the apparatus should be left with the cock in this position preferably over night, and at any rate for a period of about eight to ten hours. The salt solution becomes diffused through the Water already in the.

water level has fallen below the normal, fresh water is slowly admitted through the valve 39, and in the period mentioned suliicient water will have been admitted after all the spent salt solution has flowed out. to wash the filtering material free from any remainder of salt. The tank will be full of fresh water, and this will be ready for use. The cock must be turned of course to the normal closed position shown in Figs. -l and 5 until water is required. 1

It will be seen that there is only one cock or tap to be operated for the whole system, and that no special instructions are re quired for regenerating on the above-described plan. It is, however, possible to effect the regeneration in a somewhat different way; for example if a cock is provided in the pipe leading to the ball valve the main water supply can'be cut off altogether and the water can be drained from the tank with the cock member s in the position of Figs. 1 and 2. The cock can then be closed as in Figs. 4 and 5, and the tank filled up with salt solution. A more dilute solution must be prepared in this case in order to fill up the tank to the required level. If this is done it is important to avoid imprisoning air in the active material, and hence the filling should be effected through the pipe 9, the plug m being removed for this purpose. The salt solution then enters through the holes in pipe 9 at the bottom of the tank, so that it enters from the bottom displacing any air upwardly. The salt solution can be allowed .to run out slowly with the cock .9 in the left hand position while fresh water for washing purposes is either poured in above the active material, or is allowed to flow in from the main through valve 7). ter method of operation requires more attention and is in some ways not so reliable as the first described method according to which the regeneration always takes place automatically with subsequent washing under identical conditions. Hence the first described method of working is preferred.

The tank need not necessarily be fiat, though this form is preferred. It must be of sufhcient width at any rate at the top to accommodate a ball valve p, I] which will be large enough to operate effectively under. the pressure conditions in'the supply pipes. The tank may be of. porcelain or enameled iron, and all internal fittings should. preferably be tinned, so that they will not be attacked by the salt solution. If the tank is never emptied there is very little risk of rusting of internal fittings. The invention is not limited to the use of any particular active material and zeolites have been mentioned by way of example only. Any equivalent base-exchanging material suitable for softening, purifying and for like This lat purposes may be used. The material used may include constituents adapted to remove hardness, traces-of iron or any other undes1red constituents from water as supplied,

.and the constitution of the salt used for maintain a depth ofwater in-the tank above I the base-exchanging material, and a single outflow cock having two separate outlet ports, one large andtheother comparatively small, said cock being adapted in one position to close both ports, in a second position to be turned to open the large outlet port for the normal flow of treated water, and in a third position beyond the second to open the small outlet port in order to allow of a a slow trickling flow at a predetermined rate during regeneration of the base-exchanging material. 7

2. .Apparatus for softening, purifying and otherwise treating water, consisting of a tank, a base-exchanging material in said tank, a ball valve so disposed as normally to maintain a depth of water in the tank above the base-exchanging material, an overflow pipe in said tank having its overflow opening at a level so far above the normal water lever maintained by the ball valve, as to accommodate in said tank between said normal level and the overflow level the requisite amount of solutionfor the regeneration of the base-exchanging material, and a single overflow cock having two separate outlet ports, one large and the other comparativelyesmall, said cock being adapted in one position to close both ports, in a secend position to open the large outlet port for the normal flow of treated water, and to be turned in a third position beyond the second to open the small outlet port in order said perforated pipe and a single outflow cock also communicating with said. perforated pipe, said outflow cock having two separate outlet ports, one large and the other comparatively small, said cock being adapted in one position to close both ports, in a second position to open the large outlet port for the normal flow of treated water, and in a third position beyond the second to open the small outlet port in order to allow of aslow trickling flow during regeneration of the base-exchanging material.

4. Apparatus for softening, purifying and otherwise treating water, conslstlng of a tank, a base-exchanging material in said tank, a ball valve so disposed as normally to maintain a depth of Water in the tank above the base-exchanging material, a perforated pipe within said tank near the bottom thereof and with an extension leading up to the top of the tank adapted to receive regenerating solution poured therein and to carry the same to the perforations in the lower end of the pipe, a socket member communicating with said perforated pipe and a single outflow cock also communicating with said perforated'pipe, said outflow cock having two separate ports, one large and the other comparatively small, said cock being adaptedin one position to closeboth ports, in a second position to open the large outlet-port for the normal flow of treated water, and in a third position beyond the second to-open the small outlet port in order to allow of a slow trickling flow at a predetermined rate during regeneration of the base-exchanging material.

HENRY JAMES MAGRATH. 

